The York Hospital

On this page

• Overview
• Person-centred Care
• Care provision, Integration and continuity
• Providing Information
• Listening to and involving people
• Equity in access
• Equity in experiences and outcomes
• Planning for the future

At our last inspection we rated this key question as requires improvement. At this assessment we rated this key question as good. This meant women’s needs were met through good organisation and delivery.

We looked for evidence that women were always at the centre of how care was planned and delivered. We checked that the health and care needs of women were understood, and they were actively involved in planning care that met these needs. We also looked for evidence that women could access care in ways that met their personal circumstances and protected equality characteristics.

We found a breach of regulations in relation to Regulation 16 - Receiving and Acting on Complaints.

We have not awarded this service a score for Responsive.

Find out about when we will not publish a key question score and what we look at when we assess Responsive.

The service made sure people were at the centre of their care and treatment choices and they decided, in partnership with people, how to respond to any relevant changes in people’s needs.

Women reported they had enough information to make decisions about their care, including their birth plan, and described feeling actively involved in decisions throughout their pregnancy. Women felt able to ask question throughout their pregnancy and were able to choose to give birth at their chosen location.

Women told us staff explained risks, screening options, and test results in a way they could easily understand, supporting clear information‑sharing and informed decision‑making.

We observed staff consistently delivering person centred care.

Staff demonstrated a person‑centred approach and ensured women and those close to them understood their pregnancy, care, and treatment, providing clear information at every appointment.

Most women reported staff checked on them and their baby’s wellbeing and comfort regularly while on the postnatal ward, which helped them feel supported.

Women had access to a well-stocked kitchen for snacks and drinks outside mealtimes, which they described as reassuring during unplanned visits.

There were no overnight sleeping facilities for partners, limiting opportunities for continued family support during longer stays. Some women felt it would be of benefit if partners could stay overnight.

Women had access to all their maternity records and were able to update these via the electronic system with personal requests and needs.

Staff, including community midwives and colleagues from other hospitals, could refer to a cross‑site team of specialist bereavement (recently renamed the Iris Team) midwives. The team provided support on the labour ward, in clinics, through follow‑up phone calls and home visits. They shared positive examples of supporting women, including those with pregnancies after previous losses, to attend their antenatal screening appointments.

The service understood the diverse health and care needs of people and their local communities, so care was joined-up, flexible and supported choice and continuity.

Most women confirmed they had a named midwife and found it easy to contact them when needed.

Most women told us they knew how to seek urgent help and who to contact outside of appointment times. Women told us staff included their partners or chosen support people in discussions about care.

The service operated under a block contract, which did not take account of fluctuations in demand or the increasing acuity of women and babies. Staff told us this meant the service was often providing more than the two allocated scans per woman, in order to meet clinical need. As a result, the service occasionally needed to seek support from other local hospitals when capacity was an issue.

Staff provided antenatal and postnatal care to women in prisons and in “Safe City” asylum accommodation, ensuring equitable access to maternity services for people living in non‑standard or vulnerable settings.

The service ensured community midwives were centrally located to improve access.

Partners told us the service was a partner in the Local Maternity and Neonatal System (LMNS) Equity and Equality plan and had been part of the system Perinatal Choice & Personalisation Group.

The service supplied appropriate, accurate and up-to-date information in formats that were tailored to individual needs.

Most women felt they had enough information to make decisions about their care, including birth planning and that they could access patient information leaflets directly through the maternity services app using their phones or the internet. They told us they could access a discharge video via the internet before going home, supporting timely access to their own maternity information.

Women had access to information about external support, including posters promoting breastfeeding support available in local libraries.

The MNVP 15 steps challenge in 2025 noted the availability of information in multiple languages and the use of QR codes to support access to information.

Safety boards displayed key information and leaflets were available to take away. The personalised care plan included QR codes giving access to specific information, treatment guidance, and self‑care advice in multiple languages. This allowed women to choose their preferred language, supporting accessible health information and personalised communication.

Staff had access to clinical guidance and standard operating procedures to support safe and consistent care delivery.

The trust’s maternity inpatient survey results (2025) showed women receiving information about their condition and treatment was average with the rest of the country.

The service made it easy for people to share feedback and ideas, or raise complaints about their care, treatment and support. They involved people in decisions about their care and told them what had changed as a result.

Women told us they knew how to raise a concern or make a complaint. They said staff took their concerns seriously.

The service had received 43 Complaints between March 2025 and February 2026. The service responded to 19 within set timescales. These findings showed the trust was not consistently meeting required response timeframes and was in breach of Regulation 16 - Receiving and Acting on Complaints which requires an effective and timely system for identifying, receiving, recording, handling and responding to complaints.

Complaints were about communication, lack of compassion and dignity, delays in care and pain management and lack of emotional support or person centred care.

Staff held weekly complaints meetings to discuss new complaints. They gave the complaint to the appropriate person for review and completion. Leaders reviewed all complaints and action plans put in place to improve services.

Staff met with women and families to discuss complaints and findings.

Staff provided examples of recent learning and change in practice following a patient complaint.

We observed Posters for Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) within the labour ward and delivery theatres.

The maternity service conducted its own service user survey to share feedback.

Staff spoke with women about future home birthing provisions, ensuring their views and experiences helped shaped ongoing service planning.

The service recorded compliments received on an electronic reporting system. Themes of compliments were kindness from staff, caring attitudes, compassion shown to women and families, and effective communication during pregnancy. We saw up to date thank-you cards and messages displayed in patient areas.

The service made sure that people could access the care, support and treatment they needed when they needed it.

The service received referrals for routine 12‑week obstetric ultrasound scans directly from GP practices. They arranged any further scans required during pregnancy and coordinated associated clinical reviews such as consultant‑led clinics following a clear booking criteria.

Staff scheduled urgent scans to ensure these were completed within required timescales.

Staff reported delays with growth scans, but leaders stated they had resolved the issue the previous day and introduced a new process to ensure sufficient capacity, particularly around bank holidays.

The service rarely cancelled clinic appointments, which supported continuity of care and reduced disruption for women.

Staff monitored and took action to reduce missed appointments. Staff contacted women by telephone, with a further appointment sent by letter. For women who regularly missed appointments community midwives would visited women at home to investigate further. They would identify ways to provide support, including offering telephone consultations instead of hospital visits where appropriate.

The service had a weekly respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccination clinic within the antenatal department. Community midwives were proactive in encouraging women to receive the vaccine from 28 weeks onwards, which supported uptake.

The service displayed monthly performance information for March 2026 which ensured staff and women understand key aspects of service performance.

The antenatal service offered regular specialist maternity‑related clinical appointments, such as the maternal medicine clinic for women with high‑risk pregnancies and diabetes clinic.

The service had implemented new guidance to provide clear processes for managing a labour ward closure, including coordinated consultant‑to‑consultant discussions to support safe cross‑site transfers of women in labour.

The labour ward provided accessible facilities to support women whilst in labour. They had recently refurbished an ensuite room to provide accessible access.

Staff had access to appropriate bariatric equipment, including beds and chairs. This ensured women with a higher BMI could be cared for comfortably and with dignity.

The community midwifery team provided on call home birth provision, postnatal visits, breastfeeding drop in clinics, and other community based care. Midwives actively supported homebirths. If a trust midwife was not available the service used an independent midwifery company to support with home births. However, the service was only available to one woman at a time, and if two women wanted a home birth and went into labour at the same time only one could be provided with the home birth service.

Staff and leaders actively listened to information about people who are most likely to experience inequality in experience or outcomes and tailored their care, support and treatment in response to this.

Leaders service maintained an excellent relationship with MNVP to ensure women’s voices informed its Maternity and Neonatal Single Improvement Plan. They worked together on local surveys to obtain women’s opinion. The MNVP lead was part of the services improvement group to ensure women’s voices were part of every improvement.

The service reviewed York demographic data to inform overarching work to improve equity and develop a Service User Engagement Plan conjunction with MNVP.

Compliance with equality, diversity and human rights training met the trust’s 90% target, demonstrating a commitment to inclusive and equitable care in line with equality and human rights expectations.

Community leaders explained the geographical area did not have a large ethnically diverse population; however, they acknowledged the need to strengthen teaching on cultural competence.

The service described further planned actions to embed equity in outcomes for women and families including a review of the provision of its patient information to ensure it meets equality, diversity and inclusion criteria and implement requirements to meet accessibility standards.

The service had undertaken pan-disability (relating to or including all forms of human disability) audits in antenatal and labour wards, to inform the hospital access plan.

Two equitable health specialists midwives were in post to support women and families who were at increased risk of experiencing health inequalities. The purpose of this role was to provide additional support and improved continuity of care, with the aim of reducing poor maternal and perinatal outcomes and promoting equity across maternity services. Teenage pregnancies under the age 15 at booking, asylum-seeking women and women in prison were all automatically referred to the team. Staff could refer other women depending on risk. The equitable midwives undertook clinics in home office commissioned hotel accommodation and prisons as part of antenatal care, rather than the women attending the hospital.

People were supported to plan for important life changes, so they could have enough time to make informed decisions about their future, including at the end of their life.

The bereavement team worked closely with the MNVP and the Quality and Patient Safety Midwives to ensure review meetings and learning forums represent the voices and experiences of bereaved families.

Written guidelines and patient information were in place to support staff and women and their families. Including: Stillbirth and early Neonatal death on labour ward: Management and bereavement care guidelines and Information for Supporting You When Your Baby Dies Before, or Shortly After Birth.

A bereavement team was in post supporting women following the loss of a baby and to support women throughout further pregnancies. Staff provided information leaflets, available in different languages, to support women following the loss of their baby. The team worked closely with hospital chaplaincy, mortuary services, and trust bereavement services to ensure families receive coordinated, compassionate, and timely care.

A bereavement room (Butterfly Suite) was available within the maternity services for those women experiencing late pregnancy loss, still birth or loss of a baby shortly after birth. This was away from the main inpatient maternity ward.

Staff had introduced home visits for bereaved families at York to ensure families could access ongoing emotional support away from the hospital environment.

The service provided teaching sessions to departments managing early pregnancy loss outside of maternity services to support a consistent standard of bereavement care.

The service met the trust 90% target for staff trained in Recommended Summary Plan for Emergency Care and Treatment (ReSPECT) ensuring staff were trained to support personalised emergency care planning.